There’s not much more I can say about Wild Beasts that I haven’t said already. Lion’s Share begins and I can’t help but imagine the curtains rising to begin a glam rock musical. Hayden Thorpe’s delivery is as smooth and evocative as ever—swooping and enunciating with great effect—in telling the gender-ambiguous and possibly morbid story of a greedy lover.

The process of leaving an ex-love has never been told with such poignancy as in this song. First, we have Joanna‘s lyrical genius striking up some amazingly sad imagery (..and everywhere I tried to love you is yours again and only yours–damn, girl) and then there’s the beautiful instrumental denouement beginning at the 5-minute mark, ending on a note of uncertainty. Not to get overly cheesy but if this was made into a music video, I always imagine that 5-minute mark as the slow motion closing of the front door.

I’m glad The Antlers decided to do more songs in this vein. I feel like it was such a rare thing to get Peter Silberman’s voice without any distortion on their earlier albums. On Burst Apart it’s allowed more freedom, resulting in some really powerful moments and one of the best albums of the year so far.

Featured on Stereogum, this track by Love Inks lurked patiently in my hard drive for weeks until it finally was clawed up by iTunes on random and got my attention. I’m really enjoying the minimal arrangement and Sherry LeBlanc’s voice, which reminds me of a softer Karen O.

Today’s the day! In a couple hours we’re driving out of the city to spend the weekend in a little New Hampshire town only minutes from Vermont. There are only a couple of things I enjoy more than a good road trip (dim sum, 80% off sales, lounging, rabbits, etc) but they are so few and far between it seems so being over-excited is inevitable. I’m going to try hard not to be that guy in the passenger’s seat controlling the tunes so I’ll just do that here instead. In a perfect world, here’s what would add to the vehicular ambiance.

I have a thing for covers. I honestly cannot get enough of them. Originally performed by the band Dexys Midnight Runners in the 80s, “Tell Me When the Lights Turn Green” was a bombastic, horn-filled party tune. As interpreted by St. Augustine, it’s melancholic and warbling with hints of Antony and Will Oldham.

Said the Gramophone is one of my favorite music blogs ever. This song accompanied a really great piece by one of their guest writers, Emma Healy. It’s low-key and drawling and completely captures the disengaged and sometimes blasé nature of youth.

Oh Land, aka Nanna Øland Fabricius, is probably the top file in my cabinet titled “Where the hell did you come from?” Apparently she’s been around the music scene since 2008 but has just started popping up everywhere in the past couple of months. Well deserved.

1— I’m sorry but this is just too good. Ennui aka Jim Doutrich and Sam McUber are making some amazing dream pop on their new LP, Formation of Tides. Check out the album stream from I Guess I’m Floating. Camera Obscura cover, anyone?

2— From Grizzly Bear‘s somewhat debut album, Horn of Plenty. Amazingly simple and effective. That high-pitch voice loop, strange in most cases, is just so heartbreaking in this context. A re-recorded version of this song appears on 2009′s Dark Was The Night charity compilation album with Feist lending the main vocals. Less gritty, more pretty, and beautiful in a different way.

3— I never talked about Antony and the Johnson‘s Swanlights when it was released late last year. Pick it up if you haven’t already. Wet your palette with this incredible duet with Björk. A slightly more upbeat number than their first venture together, it’s a rainy Spring Sunday put into song.

4— Stith has been on tour with Sufjan for the past couple of months so his cover on the “reimagined” version of Sufjan’s Seven Swans was the one I most anticipated. With one of the most unique takes of all the tracks—haunting falsetto, multilayered wails, and all—he definitely does not disappoint. It reminds me a lot of of the gorgeous live rendition of his “Morning Glory Cloud“. Released by On Joyful Wings, all profits of Seven Swans Reimagined will go to the Susan G. Komen For The Cure breast cancer foundation.

This was obviously meant to be posted last Friday. I’m just really indecisive.

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